Our undergraduate courses enable you to tailor your degree to your needs. We offer flexibility and choice, giving you opportunities to gain the transferrable skills employers really want, such as teamwork, leadership and learning another language.

PhD study takes place within a demanding and rigorous research environment. The depth of your personal knowledge will increase and you will be expected to make an independent contribution to knowledge in your field.

Criminology

Our BSc Criminology will enable you to analyse the changing nature of crime and the workings of the criminal justice system.

You will be given the skills to analyse the complexities of crime and the criminal justice system, and take a fascinating journey through psychological investigations into human behaviour in our BSc Criminology and Psychology (Accredited by the British Psychological Society).

Economics

Now, more than ever, we must understand how money markets work at a global and local level. Economists at Southampton examine aspects of the complex financial transactions that control our lives.

The BSc Economics programme studies economics in great depth, through a core of microeconomics (principles and applied), macroeconomics (principles and policy) and econometrics.

Our integrated masters MEcon Economics develops conceptual and analytical skills enabling you to apply economic analysis to policy problems and build knowledge of the workings of the economy.

Combining economics with a detailed study of accountancy, the BSc Accounting and Economics is ideal if you wish to pursue a career in accountancy.

If you like mathematics, enjoy problem-solving and are curious about financial issues, the BSc Economics and Actuarial Science is for you. The degree provides exemptions from up to eight of the core technical (CT) professional exams, the maximum available.

Our BSc Economics and Finance combines a firm grounding in economics with the theoretical and empirical analysis of financial markets and institutions.

Sociology and Social Policy

Our sociologists, criminologists and academics in social policy explore topical areas such as crime, education, work and social inequality. You will learn directly from specialists about these fascinating subjects.

Are you fascinated by social change and how it might be brought about? Do you want to play a part in this process by developing an expertise on how social institutions (governments, NGOs) seek to advance human welfare at national and global level? Our degrees in Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Southampton provide you with a big step towards this goal.

The course focuses on social institutions, social inequalities and social transformations. It allows students to explore how inequalities of power within society shape social outcomes and what steps might be taken to transform this situation. With a range of highly accessible modules, our degrees prepare graduates for a career in a range of sectors, from NGOs to government to teaching. You will leave Southampton as a highly skilled social scientist with an acute awareness of national and global social issues and how they might be addressed.

Population and Geography

Our BSc Population and Geography is an innovative interdisciplinary programme based in a leading centre of demography. Our friendly, open atmosphere is highly praised by past students.

Our BSc Population and Geography is a unique specialisation which will expand your career prospects, and study abroad opportunities are available in Finland, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.

The programme will give you an excellent grounding in the key concepts of population and human geography, enabling you to understand why the world is as it is today and the forces that are reshaping populations and societies in the 21st century. It will develop your knowledge of population policies and enable you to study specific global issues and regions in depth. You will apply what you have learned on an international field trip, where you will observe some of the issues first hand.

Ageing and Gerontology - taught courses

Our postgraduate degree programmes in gerontology are aimed at young graduates, mid-career professionals and mature returners to education.

They will equip you with the knowledge and skills to pursue a wide range of careers in, for example, policy development, evaluation of services, social and healthcare provision, nursing and medicine, housing and transport design, engineering, leisure and the voluntary sector. They can also lead to exciting research opportunities in higher education and think-tanks.

Sociology and Social Policy - taught courses

We offer MSc programmes that are designed to provide a deeper insight into sociology, social policy, criminology and anthropology.

Sociology, Social Policy, Criminology and Anthropology programmes have been central to Social Sciences at Southampton for over 40 years. As part of our Division, you will be joining the multidisciplinary Social Sciences community, which offers research and teaching programmes not only in Sociology, Social Policy, Criminology and Anthropology but also in ageing, demography, economics, international relations, politics, social work and social statistics.

Sociology, Social Policy, Criminology - research

The University of Southampton welcomes applications from students who are interested in pursuing postgraduate research in sociology and/or social policy and related areas such as criminology, anthropology and social psychology.

We are particularly interested in applications from students who wish to undertake research in areas of quantitative sociology or social policy, or who wish to pursue interdisciplinary research in the areas of health and wellbeing, energy, environment and resilience, or the social/computational interface. However, we also welcome applications from students who wish to undertake research in areas that are directly associated with other staff research interests.

Centre for Research on Ageing - research

CRA is an exciting interdisciplinary research and teaching centre, bringing together national and international experts devoted to cutting-edge research in the fields of ageing, the life course and social policy.

Research students are registered initially for an MPhil and are upgraded to a PhD after a period of satisfactory progress. A minimum of one year of full-time registration is required for an MPhil and two years full-time registration for a PhD. For part-time registration, the periods are two and three years respectively.

Criminology - taught courses

Criminology is one of the most exciting postgraduate masters courses available.

It will expose you to important international criminological research findings and help you develop the skills to analyse the complex social issues confronting a globalised world.

Crime, deviance and criminal justice are endlessly fascinating. By studying Criminology at the University of Southampton, you will be engaging in a discipline that is one of the oldest in the Social Sciences, and with the topic of crime, a central feature of human behaviour.

This fascinating course will help you establish a successful academic or professional career with the police, the prison service, the NHS or security companies.

Economics - taught courses

Economics at Southampton specialises in microeconomics and econometric theory. Our postgraduate taught programmes aim to provide students with a thorough knowledge and understanding of the concepts, tools and methods of modern economics, together with the application of these methods to the analysis of economic problems.

Economics - research

We are proud of our reputation for cutting-edge research. Our research strength ranges across the core areas of the discipline.

We have approximately 30 full-time academic staff. Our PhD programme is small enough (between five and 10 new students admitted each year) to provide detailed PhD supervision but large enough to offer expertise in many fields. Supervision is offered in all the main areas of economics and econometrics.

Our programme provides a clearly structured taught and research based training. In the first year we offer three core modules, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Econometrics. In addition, we offer specialised seminars and workshops run by internationally recognised experts.

Politics - taught courses

Politics and International Relations at Southampton, home to the Centre for Citizenship, Globalization and Governance (C2G2) and are ranked top five in the UK for our research output (Research Excellence Framework 2014).

Our range of of taught programmes across politics and internationals combine core and optional modules, combining empirical and theoretical material, and ranging in coverage from intensive studies of individual states to broad introductions to issues such as globalisation, political economy, democracy, governance, citizenship and beyond.

Social Statistics and Demography - taught courses

For 50 years we have been at the forefront of international research on methodology for the design and analysis of sample surveys. Today, we are a leading international centre for research in social statistics.

Professional statisticians need a high degree of technical sophistication, which can only be gained through postgraduate study. In addition, they need to be able to listen to the needs of clients and communicate their findings to the user community. These skills are also developed within our postgraduate programmes.

Social Statistics and Demography - research

We have an international reputation and research expertise in social statistics and sample survey methods, statistical modelling applied to social policy, and demography.

Professional statisticians need a high degree of technical sophistication, which can only be gained through postgraduate study. In addition, they need to be able to listen to the needs of clients and to communicate their findings to the user community. These skills are also developed within our postgraduate programmes.

Since the Division of Social Statistics was founded in 1975, we have been at the forefront of international research on methodology for the design and analysis of sample surveys. Today, we are a leading international centre for research in social statistics.

Politics and International Relations - research

Politics at Southampton has an international reputation for research in the areas of political science, political theory and international relations.

We offer MPhil/PhD programmes in many areas of politics and international relations. Our Centre for Citizenship, Globalization and Governance (C2G2) is active across our five research themes.

Our research interests in these areas cover a wide range of topics, including: Citizenship and democracy, Economy, (in)security and power, Faces of inequality and expressions of justice, Post-carbon futures, Governance and its discontents

Quantitative Social Science

The government has acknowledged the lack of quantitative social scientists and the contribution that these skills make in a range of careers.

The BSc in Quantitative Social Science is to provide students with a broad understanding of the social world alongside a rigorous training in quantitative techniques and data analysis skills. Students will be given advanced quantitative methods training alongside data management and interpretation competences that will be attractive to a wide range of employers in the public, private, charitable and academic sectors. These skills will be set in the context of a wide range of social science topics, focused around politics, international relations, sociology, social policy, criminology and demography